Smoke flavourings are added to foods, such as meat or cheese, to give them a ‘smoked’ flavour as an alternative to traditional smoking. They can also be added to foods which are not traditionally smoked, such as soups, sauces or confectionery. In some cases, smoke flavourings are used at very low levels to add an undertone of a particular flavour only and not the full smoky taste.
Smoke flavourings need to be authorised before they can be placed on the market in Great Britain (GB). Regulation 2065/2003 outlines the authorisation procedure for these types of flavouring.
Smoke flavourings are controlled under different legislation to other flavourings and so have different timings for the risk analysis process and data requirements for applications. Authorisations are applicant specific.